Information management device, information management method, and program

Abstract

The information management device of this embodiment includes: an acquisition unit that communicates with a mobile body equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user of the mobile body and acquires destination information and estimated time of arrival at the destination regarding the user's destination; a charging facility candidate extraction unit that extracts charging facility candidates that can be reached within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time from the destination based on charging facility information including the location information of a plurality of charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time slots of the charging facilities; an availability determination unit that determines whether or not a charging facility candidate is available based on the estimated time of arrival and the available time slots; and a provision unit that provides the user with the distance between the charging facility candidate determined to be available and the destination, at least one of the user's travel time, and the location information of the charging facility candidate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information management device, an information management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, efforts have been actively made to provide access to a sustainable transportation system that takes into account people in vulnerable positions among transportation participants. Toward this realization, research and development focusing on further improving traffic safety and convenience through research and development related to navigation technology has been carried out. In this regard, conventionally, a charging stand located before the maximum reachable point of an electric vehicle that can run based on the remaining battery charge is searched, and peripheral facility information within a range where one can stop by during charging from the candidate charging stand and the charging time at the candidate charging stand are displayed to allow the user to select a charging stand (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in conventional navigation technology, since an electric vehicle passes through a charging facility before arriving at the destination, there are cases where the departure time has to be calculated taking into account the travel time and charging time of the additional route for passing through the charging facility, the stay time at the destination, etc. Therefore, there has been a problem that appropriate information regarding a charging facility may not be provided to the user.

[0005] To address the above-mentioned problems, this invention aims to provide an information management device, an information management method, and a program that can provide users with more appropriate information about charging facilities based on the location of their destination. Ultimately, this will contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information management device, information management method, and program according to this invention employ the following configuration. (1) An information management device according to one aspect of the present invention is an information management device comprising: an acquisition unit that communicates with a mobile body equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user using the mobile body and acquires destination information relating to the user's destination and the estimated time of arrival at the destination; a storage unit that stores charging facility information including location information of a plurality of charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time periods of the charging facilities; a charging facility candidate extraction unit that extracts charging facility candidates that can be reached within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time from the destination based on the charging facility information; an availability determination unit that determines whether the charging facility candidates are available based on the estimated time of arrival and the available time periods; and a provision unit that provides the user with the distance between the charging facility candidates determined to be available and the destination, at least one of the user's travel time, and the location information of the charging facility candidates.

[0007] (2) The embodiment of (1) above further includes a travel time calculation unit that calculates the user's travel time based on the distance between the charging facility candidate and the destination.

[0008] (3) In the embodiment of (1) above, the destination information includes information regarding the user's stay time at the destination.

[0009] (4) In the embodiment of (1) above, the providing unit provides the user with information regarding the charging facility candidates from among the charging facility candidates, which will complete charging of the battery between the scheduled arrival time and the end of the stay time.

[0010] (5) In the embodiment of (1) above, the acquisition unit acquires information regarding the battery status via the mobile device or the communication terminal, and the provision unit provides the information regarding the battery status to the user.

[0011] (6) In the embodiment of (1) above, the acquisition unit acquires charging performance information indicating the charging performance of the battery, and the provision unit provides the charging performance information to the user.

[0012] (7): In the embodiment of (1) above, the system further includes a reservation unit for reserving the charging facility selected by the user from among the candidate charging facilities.

[0013] (8) In the embodiment of (7) above, the reservation unit provides the user with information regarding the available time of the reserved charging facility when the scheduled arrival time is updated, and updates or cancels the reservation in accordance with instructions from the user.

[0014] (9): In the embodiment of (1) above, the supply unit comprises an evaluation unit for evaluating the charging facility candidates and a recommendation unit for recommending a charging facility to the user based on the evaluation results of the charging facility candidates evaluated by the evaluation unit, wherein the evaluation unit evaluates each charging facility candidate using at least one criterion from among the usage fee of the charging facility candidate, the distance between the charging facility candidate and the destination, the travel time from the charging facility candidate to the destination, and the charging performance information of the charging facility candidate, and the recommendation unit recommends the charging facility candidate with the highest evaluation among the evaluated charging facility candidates as the recommended charging facility.

[0015] (10): In the embodiment of (1) above, the system further includes a degree of freedom setting unit for setting the degree of freedom for the length of stay at the destination, and the charging facility candidate extraction unit increases the predetermined distance or predetermined time as the degree of freedom set by the degree of freedom setting unit increases.

[0016] (11): An information management method according to one aspect of the present invention is an information management method in which a computer communicates with a mobile body equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user using the mobile body, obtains destination information relating to the user's destination and the estimated time of arrival at the destination, extracts candidate charging facilities that can be reached within a predetermined distance or time from the destination based on charging facility information including the location information of a plurality of charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time period of the charging facilities, determines whether the candidate charging facilities are available based on the estimated time of arrival and the available time period, and provides the user with the distance between the candidate charging facilities determined to be available and the destination, at least one of the user's travel time, and the location information of the candidate charging facilities.

[0017] (12): A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to communicate with a mobile body equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user of the mobile body, to obtain destination information relating to the user's destination and the estimated time of arrival at the destination, to extract candidate charging facilities that can be reached within a predetermined distance or time from the destination based on charging facility information including the location information of a plurality of charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time periods of the charging facilities, to determine whether the candidate charging facilities are available based on the estimated time of arrival and the available time periods, and to provide the user with the distance between the candidate charging facility that has been determined to be available and the destination, at least one of the user's travel time, and the location information of the candidate charging facility. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the above aspects (1) to (12), it is possible to provide the user with information on more appropriate charging facilities based on the position of the destination.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a configuration diagram of an information management system 1 using the information management device of the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a configuration diagram of an electric vehicle M of the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a configuration diagram of a communication terminal 200 of the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a configuration diagram of a charging facility 300 of the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a configuration diagram of an information management device 400 of the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of a user information DB 452. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of a charging facility DB 454. [Figure 8] It is a configuration diagram of a charging facility management unit 434 of the embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process for providing information on a charging facility. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example in which information on a charging facility 300 is provided. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of an image IM10 related to a charging facility candidate displayed on a communication terminal 200. [Figure 12] [[ID=4I]]It is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process for updating or canceling a reservation content.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] The following describes embodiments of the information management device, information management method, and program of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The following describes a case where the information management device of the embodiment is applied to an information management system capable of providing information such as the route from the current location of a mobile object to its destination, and the route to a charging facility where the battery mounted on the mobile object can be charged. Furthermore, in the following, an electric vehicle is used as an example of a mobile object equipped with a battery. An electric vehicle is, for example, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) that runs on an electric motor powered by electricity supplied from a mounted battery. Alternatively, the electric vehicle may be a PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle) or PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) which is a hybrid vehicle equipped with an external charging function. Furthermore, electric vehicles include not only four-wheeled vehicles, but also two-wheeled vehicles with a saddle-type rider, three-wheeled vehicles (including those with one wheel in the front and two in the rear, as well as those with two wheels in the front and one in the rear), electric assist bicycles, electric kick scooters, and any other "mobile devices" that are driven by an electric motor powered by electricity supplied from a battery.

[0021] [Overall structure] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information management system 1 using an information management device of an embodiment. The information management system 1 includes, for example, an electric vehicle M, a communication terminal 200 used (possessed) by a user U using the electric vehicle M, a charging facility 300, and an information management device 400. In the information management system 1, at least one of the electric vehicle M, the communication terminal 200, and the charging facility 300 may be provided in multiple quantities. The electric vehicle M, the communication terminal 200, the charging facility 300, and the information management device 400 can communicate with each other, for example, via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth®, the Internet, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a public line, provider equipment, a dedicated line, a wireless base station, etc.

[0022] The electric vehicle M transmits information about its location, information about the destination entered by user U, and information about the charge status of the battery installed in the electric vehicle M to the information management device 400 via the network NW, and receives information transmitted from the information management device 400, and provides the received information to user U who is riding in the electric vehicle M.

[0023] The communication terminal 200 is, for example, a portable terminal such as a smartphone or tablet. The communication terminal 200 acquires location information and transmits the acquired location information, etc., to the information management device 400 via the network NW. The communication terminal 200 also transmits information about the destination entered by the user U to the information management device 400, and outputs information acquired from the information management device 400 to the user U. The communication terminal 200 may also communicate with the electric vehicle M using, for example, short-range communication such as Bluetooth. The communication terminal 200 may be mounted on the electric vehicle M and function as a vehicle-mounted terminal (display), independently communicating with various devices, displaying screens, outputting audio, etc.

[0024] The charging facility 300 is, for example, equipment for charging a battery installed in an electric vehicle M. The charging facility 300 may be installed, for example, on the shoulder of a road or on a sidewalk. Alternatively, the charging facility 300 may be installed in a parking lot of a residential or commercial facility, or at a battery sales store (for example, a dealer). The charging facility 300 has a space in which the electric vehicle M can be parked while charging. The charging facility 300 may also be called, for example, a charging stand, charging spot, or charging station. The charging facility 300 may also have a communication function to communicate with the electric vehicle M while it is being charged or with the information management device 400. When communicating with the electric vehicle M, the charging facility 300 may communicate via a wired connection (for example, a signal cable described later) or wirelessly. For example, the charging facility 300 acquires location information of the electric vehicle M and information about the battery installed in the electric vehicle M, and transmits the acquired information to the information management device 400.

[0025] The information management device 400 may be, for example, a server device or a PC (Personal Computer), or a cloud server configured with cloud computing consisting of one or more information processing devices. The information management device 400 manages the location information of each charging facility 300 managed by the information management system 1, as well as the usage status of the charging facilities 300. The information management device 400 also obtains location information, destination information, estimated arrival time at the destination, etc. from the electric vehicle M or communication terminal 200, and extracts candidate charging facilities 300 that the electric vehicle M can use while the user U is at the destination and transmits them to the electric vehicle M or communication terminal 200. In addition, the information management device 400 reserves the charging facility 300 selected by the user U from the candidate charging facilities 300, and transmits the reservation information to the electric vehicle M or communication terminal 200.

[0026] Next, we will specifically describe the functions of the electric vehicle M, the communication terminal 200, the charging facility 300, and the information management device 400.

[0027] [Electric vehicles] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electric vehicle M according to an embodiment. The electric vehicle M includes, for example, a motor 12, drive wheels 14, a brake device 16, a vehicle sensor 20, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 30, a battery 40, a battery sensor 42, a communication device 50, a charging port 70, a display unit 80, a navigation device 90, and a control device 100.

[0028] Motor 12 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor. The rotor of motor 12 is connected to the drive wheel 14. Motor 12 outputs power to the drive wheel 14 using the supplied electricity. Motor 12 also generates electricity using the kinetic energy of the electric vehicle M when the electric vehicle M is decelerated. The energy generated by motor 12 may be used to charge the battery 40.

[0029] The brake system 16 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, and an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder. The brake system 16 may also include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal to the cylinder via a master cylinder. The brake system 16 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake system that transmits hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder to the cylinder. When the brake system 16 is activated, the motor 12 generates a regenerative current. This energy from the regenerative current (regenerative energy) may be used to charge the battery 40.

[0030] The vehicle sensor 20 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal position sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a brake pedal pressure sensor, a position sensor (an example of a position acquisition unit), and a temperature sensor. The accelerator pedal position sensor is attached to the accelerator pedal and detects the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal as the accelerator pedal position. The vehicle speed sensor includes, for example, wheel speed sensors attached to each wheel and a speed computer, and integrates the wheel speeds detected by the wheel speed sensors to derive the vehicle speed. The brake pedal pressure sensor is attached to the brake pedal and detects the amount of operation of the brake pedal as the brake pedal pressure. The position sensor acquires position information (e.g., latitude and longitude information) of the electric vehicle M using, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver (not shown). The temperature sensor detects the outside temperature or the inside temperature of the vehicle. The information acquired by each of the above sensors is output to the control unit 36 ​​or the control device 100.

[0031] The PCU30 includes, for example, a converter 32, a VCU (Voltage Control Unit) 34, and a control unit 36. Note that this configuration of the PCU30 is merely an example; these components may be arranged in a distributed manner.

[0032] The converter 32 is, for example, an AC-DC converter. The DC terminal of the converter 32 is connected to the DC link DL. The battery 40 is connected to the DC link DL via the VCU 34. The converter 32 converts the AC generated by the motor 12 into DC and outputs it to the DC link DL.

[0033] VCU34 is, for example, a DC-DC converter. VCU34 boosts the power supplied from battery 40 and outputs it to DC link DL.

[0034] The control unit 36 ​​includes, for example, a motor control unit, a brake control unit, and a battery / VCU control unit. The motor control unit, brake control unit, and battery / VCU control unit may each be replaced by separate control devices, such as a motor ECU (Electronic Control Unit), a brake ECU, and a battery ECU.

[0035] The control unit 36 ​​controls the motor 12 in the motor control unit based on the output of the vehicle sensor 20. The control unit 36 ​​controls the brake device 16 in the brake control unit based on the output of the vehicle sensor 20. The control unit 36 ​​also outputs vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle sensor 20 to the control device 100. In the battery / VCU control unit, the control unit 36 ​​acquires the state of the battery 40 based on the output of the battery sensor 42 attached to the battery 40 and outputs it to the VCU 34 and the control device 100. The state of the battery 40 is, for example, the SOC (State of Charge). The SOC includes, for example, the remaining charge, the charge rate, and the amount of energy charged to the battery 40 per predetermined time. The output of the SOC may be repeated at predetermined timings. The control unit 36 ​​may also estimate the degree of degradation of the battery 40 based on the information acquired from the battery sensor 42. The VCU 34 increases the voltage of the DC link DL in response to instructions from the battery / VCU control. Furthermore, the control unit 36 ​​may acquire the amount of energy generated and regenerated from the motor 12 and perform charging control of the battery 40.

[0036] The battery 40 is a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a solid-state battery. The battery 40 stores power for the electric vehicle M to run. For example, the battery 40 stores and charges power supplied from an external charging facility 300 via the charging port 70 of the electric vehicle M, and discharges power for the electric vehicle M to run. The battery 40 may also store power for the electric vehicle M to run through the generated energy or regenerative energy described above.

[0037] The battery sensor 42 includes, for example, a current sensor, a voltage sensor, and a temperature sensor. The battery sensor 42 detects the current value, voltage value, and temperature of the battery 40 using each sensor, for example. The battery sensor 42 also detects the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 40. The battery sensor 42 may also detect whether or not the electric vehicle M is being charged by power supplied from the charging equipment 300. The battery sensor 42 outputs the detected information to the control unit 36 ​​or the control device 100.

[0038] The communication device 50 includes, for example, a wireless module for connecting to a cellular network or a Wi-Fi network. The communication device 50 transmits information from the control unit 36 ​​and the control device 100 to the information management device 400 via the network NW. The communication device 50 also receives information transmitted by the information management device 400 and outputs the received information to the control device 100. The communication device 50 may also communicate with the communication terminal 200 or the charging facility 300 under the control of the communication control unit 120.

[0039] The charging port 70 is provided facing the outside of the vehicle body of the electric vehicle M. The charging port 70 is connected to the charging equipment 300 via a charging cable CC. The charging cable CC comprises, for example, a first plug P1 and a second plug P2. The first plug P1 is connected to the charging equipment 300, and the second plug P2 is connected to the charging port 70. Power supplied from the charging equipment 300 is supplied to the charging port 70 via the charging cable CC. The charging cable CC also includes a signal cable attached to the power cable. The signal cable mediates communication between the electric vehicle M and the charging equipment 300. Therefore, each of the first plug P1 and the second plug P2 is provided with a power connector for connecting the power cable and a signal connector for connecting the signal cable. A connection circuit (not shown) may also be provided between the charging port 70 and the battery 40. The connection circuit transmits DC power supplied from the charging equipment 300 to the battery 40 via the first plug P1, the charging cable CC, the second plug P2, and the charging port 70. The connection circuit may also supply DC power transmitted from the battery 40 to the charging equipment 300 via the charging port 70, the second plug P2, the charging cable CC, and the first plug P1.

[0040] The display unit 80 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display unit 80 is installed, for example, in the instrument panel area in front of the driver's seat where the steering wheel is located, which includes instruments such as a speedometer. Alternatively, the display unit 80 may be installed, for example, near the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle. The display unit 80 may also be a display unit provided by the HMI (Human Machine Interface) of another in-vehicle device (for example, a navigation device 90). The display unit 80 displays information to be provided to the user U riding in the electric vehicle M based on the control of the control device 100 (for example, information on charging station candidates, information on reservations for charging station 300, information on routes, etc.). The display unit 80 may also be a touch panel, in which case it receives instructions from the user U while riding in the vehicle.

[0041] The navigation device 90 includes, for example, a GNSS receiver, a guidance control unit, and a storage unit that stores map information. The GNSS receiver determines the position of the electric vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the electric vehicle M may be determined or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) that utilizes the output of the vehicle sensor 20. The guidance control unit determines, for example, a route from the position of the electric vehicle M determined by the GNSS receiver (or any input position) to a destination input by the user U, by referring to map information, and causes the control device 100 to output route guidance information to the display unit 80 so that the electric vehicle M travels along the route. The map information is, for example, information in which the shape of a road is represented by links indicating roads and nodes connected by links. The map information stores, for example, road information associated with latitude and longitude (road shape (width, curvature, gradient), position of stop lines and pedestrian crossings), POI (Point of Interest) information, traffic regulation information, address information (address, postal code), contact information (address information), facility information, etc. Facility information includes, for example, location information of the charging equipment 300 and information for identifying the charging equipment 300 (identification information). Map information may be updated as needed by the communication device 50 communicating with an external device. Map information may also be stored in the vehicle-side storage unit 140 of the control device 100, which will be described later (map information 142, described later).

[0042] The navigation device 90 may transmit the current location and destination of the electric vehicle M to the information management device 400 or other external devices (e.g., a navigation server) via a communication device, and obtain a route from the destination.

[0043] Furthermore, the navigation device 90 calculates the estimated time of arrival at the destination based on the route (distance) from the electric vehicle M's current position to the destination and the current time. The location information, destination information, estimated time of arrival, and other information acquired by the navigation device 90 are transmitted to the information management device 400, for example, under the control of the control device 100.

[0044] The control device 100 includes, for example, a charging control unit 110, a communication control unit 120, a display control unit 130, and a vehicle-side storage unit 140. The charging control unit 110, the communication control unit 120, and the display control unit 130 are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium) provided by the electric vehicle M, or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium), and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the electric vehicle M when the storage medium is inserted into the drive device provided by the electric vehicle M.

[0045] The vehicle-side storage unit 140 may be implemented using the various storage devices mentioned above, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory). The vehicle-side storage unit 140 stores information obtained from, for example, the battery sensor 42, the control unit 36, the communication device 50, the display unit 80, the charging control unit 110, programs, and various other information. Map information 142 may also be stored in the vehicle-side storage unit 140.

[0046] The charging control unit 110 controls the charging of the battery 40. For example, the charging control unit 110 controls the battery 40 and the charging facility 300 so that when the charge level of the battery 40 is below a threshold, it charges the battery 40 with power supplied from the charging facility 300, and when the charge level is above the threshold, it terminates (or does not charge) the battery. The charging control unit 110 may also determine whether the battery 40 of the electric vehicle M is being charged. For example, the charging control unit 110 refers to map information 142 based on the position information of the electric vehicle M detected by the position sensor of the vehicle sensor 20, and determines that the battery 40 is being charged if the position of the electric vehicle M is within a predetermined distance from the installation position of the charging facility 300 and the amount of power charged to the battery 40 per predetermined time is above a threshold. Alternatively, instead of the amount of power, the charging control unit 110 may determine that the battery is being charged if the second plug P2 is connected to the charging port 70. The charging control unit 110 also acquires charging performance information of the battery 40. The charging performance information includes, for example, information such as the total energy capacity of the battery 40, the maximum output energy capacity it can handle, and the number of connectable charging facilities 300. The charging performance information may also include information regarding the degree of degradation of the battery 40.

[0047] The communication control unit 120 controls communication with the information management device 400, the communication terminal 200, the charging facility 300, and other external devices via the communication device 50. For example, the communication control unit 120 transmits information obtained from the vehicle sensor 20, the control unit 36, the battery sensor 42, the communication device 50, the navigation device 90, and the charging control unit 110 to the information management device 400 and the communication terminal 200. The communication control unit 120 also receives information transmitted from the information management device 400, the communication terminal 200, and the charging facility 300.

[0048] The display control unit 130 displays information about the electric vehicle M and battery 40, as well as information about the charging facility 300, obtained from the vehicle sensor 20, control unit 36, battery sensor 42, communication device 50, navigation device 90, charging control unit 110, communication terminal 200, charging facility 300, information management device 400, etc., on the display unit 80. For example, the display control unit 130 generates images showing the current location of the electric vehicle M and the route to the destination, images showing candidate charging facilities and charging facilities, images showing reservation information for the charging facility 300, etc., and displays the generated images on the display unit 80. The display control unit 130 may also output audio or other signals associated with the images displayed on the display unit 80 from the display unit 80.

[0049] [Communication terminals] Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a communication terminal 200 according to an embodiment. The communication terminal 200 includes, for example, a terminal-side communication unit 210, an input unit 220, an output unit 230, a location acquisition unit 240, a control unit 250, an application execution unit 260, and a terminal-side storage unit 270. The location acquisition unit 240, the control unit 250, and the application execution unit 260 are each realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium) provided by the communication terminal 200, or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium), and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the communication terminal 200 when the storage medium is inserted into the drive device provided by the communication terminal 200.

[0050] The terminal-side storage unit 270 may be implemented by the various storage devices described above, or by an SSD, EEPROM, ROM, RAM, etc. The terminal-side storage unit 270 stores, for example, a navigation application 272, map information 274, a program, and various other information. The map information 274 has the same information as the map information 142 described above.

[0051] The terminal-side communication unit 210 communicates with, for example, the information management device 400 and other external devices via a network NW. The terminal-side communication unit 210 may also communicate with the electric vehicle M in which the user U is riding via short-range communication.

[0052] The input unit 220 accepts user U input, for example, through the operation of various keys or buttons. The input unit 220 may also be equipped with a microphone to accept voice input from user U.

[0053] The output unit 230 includes, for example, a display 232 and a speaker 234. The display 232 is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. The output unit 230 displays various images on the display 232 and outputs sound from the speaker 234 under the control of the application execution unit 260 and the control unit 250. The display 232 may also function as a touch panel, for example, as an input unit 220.

[0054] The position acquisition unit 240 acquires location information (e.g., latitude and longitude information) of the communication terminal 200 using a built-in GPS device (not shown). Furthermore, when communicating with the electric vehicle M, the position acquisition unit 240 may acquire location information of the electric vehicle M detected by the vehicle sensor 20 of the electric vehicle M.

[0055] The control unit 250 controls all the components of the communication terminal 200. The control unit 250 stores information received by the input unit 220 in the terminal-side storage unit 270 or transmits it to the information management device 400 via the terminal-side communication unit 210. The control unit 250 may also output information such as images and audio acquired from the information management device 400 via the terminal-side communication unit 210 from the output unit 230, or it may generate images and audio based on information acquired from the information management device 400 and output them from the output unit 230.

[0056] The application execution unit 260 is realized by executing the navigation application 272 stored in the terminal-side storage unit 270. The navigation application 272 is installed on the communication terminal 200 after being downloaded from an external device via a network, for example. Based on the information input by the input unit 220, the location information acquired by the location acquisition unit 240, and the surrounding information acquired from the map information 274, the navigation application 272 extracts a route to the input destination and outputs the extraction result to the output unit 230. The navigation application 272 also calculates the estimated time of arrival at the destination from the route (distance) from the current location to the destination and the current time. Furthermore, the navigation application 272 transmits the location information of the communication terminal 200, information about the destination, and information such as the estimated time of arrival to the information management device 400, receives information about charging facility candidates from the information management device 400, and outputs it to the output unit 230. Furthermore, the navigation application 272 transmits information about the charging facility 300 selected by user U from one or more charging facility candidates to the information management device 400, which then processes the information management device 400 by reserving the charging facility 300, retrieving information about the reserved charging facility 300, and outputting it to the output unit 230.

[0057] [Charging facilities] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charging facility 300 according to an embodiment. The charging facility 300 includes, for example, a facility-side communication unit 310, an input unit 320, an output unit 330, a position acquisition unit 340, a power supply unit 350, a charging control unit 360, and a facility-side storage unit 370. The position acquisition unit 340, the power supply unit 350, and the charging control unit 360 are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium) provided by the charging facility 300, or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium), and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the charging facility 300 when the storage medium is inserted into a drive device provided by the charging facility 300.

[0058] The facility-side storage unit 370 may be implemented using the various storage devices mentioned above, or by an SSD, EEPROM, ROM, RAM, etc. For example, programs and various other information are stored in the facility-side storage unit 370.

[0059] The facility-side communication unit 310 communicates with, for example, the information management device 400 and other external devices via a network NW. The facility-side communication unit 310 may also communicate with the electric vehicle M to which power is supplied via a charging cable CC or short-range communication.

[0060] The input unit 320 accepts user U input, for example, through the operation of various keys or buttons. The input unit 320 may also be equipped with a microphone to accept voice input from user U.

[0061] The output unit 330 includes, for example, a display 332 and a speaker 334. The display 332 is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. The output unit 330 displays various images on the display 332 and outputs sound from the speaker 334 under the control of the charging control unit 360. The display 332 may also function as a touch panel, for example, as the input unit 320.

[0062] The position acquisition unit 340 acquires location information (e.g., latitude and longitude information) of the charging facility 300 using a built-in GPS device (not shown). If the charging facility 300 is installed in a fixed location, the position acquisition unit 340 may also acquire location information of the charging facility 300 stored in the facility-side storage unit 370.

[0063] When the power supply unit 350 is connected to the electric vehicle M via the charging cable CC, it supplies power to the battery 40 mounted on the electric vehicle M under the control of the charging control unit 360.

[0064] When the charging control unit 360 receives a charging instruction for the electric vehicle M (battery 40) from the user U via the input unit 320, it acquires information regarding the status of the battery 40 installed in the electric vehicle M. The charging control unit 360 also, for example, if the charge rate of the battery 40 included in the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 40 is below a threshold, it has the power supply unit 350 supply power to the battery 40. The charging control unit 360 also transmits information regarding the usage status of the charging equipment 300, along with identification information that identifies the charging facility 300, to the information management device 400 at predetermined intervals or timings. The information regarding the usage status includes, for example, the charging start time for the electric vehicle M connected by the charging cable CC, the charging end time (scheduled end time) based on the SOC, identification information that identifies the electric vehicle M or user U during charging, and information indicating whether the charging facility 300 is normal or abnormal. The information regarding the usage status may also include reservation information for the charging facility 300. Furthermore, the charging control unit 360 may, based on the reservation information, control the system so as not to supply power to any electric vehicle M other than the reserved electric vehicle M when it is connected via the charging cable CC (in other words, so that electric vehicles other than the reserved vehicle cannot be charged). The charging control unit 360 may also transmit charging performance information of the charging facility 300 to the information management device 400. The charging performance information of the charging facility 300 may include, for example, the amount of power that can be supplied, the specifications, the types of vehicles that can be charged, and the manufacturing date of the charging facility.

[0065] [Information management device] Figure 5 is a configuration diagram of an information management device 400 according to an embodiment. The information management device 400 includes, for example, a communication unit 410, an acquisition unit 420, a management unit 430, a provision unit 440, and a storage unit 450. The acquisition unit 420, the management unit 430, and the provision unit 440 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory provided by the information management device 400, or it may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the information management device 400 when the storage medium is mounted in a drive device provided by the information management device 400.

[0066] The storage unit 450 may be implemented using the various storage devices mentioned above, or an SSD, EEPROM, ROM, RAM, etc. The storage unit 450 stores, for example, a user information database 452, a charging facility database 454, map information 456, programs, and various other information. The charging facility database 454 is an example of "charging facility information".

[0067] Figure 6 shows an example of the contents of the user information DB 452. The user information DB 452 includes, for example, a user ID, a terminal ID, a vehicle ID, user location information, address information, and payment information. The user ID is identification information for identifying user U. The user ID may also store information for user authentication (for example, a password or biometric information). The terminal ID is identification information for identifying the communication terminal 200 used by user U. The vehicle ID is identification information for identifying the electric vehicle M used by user U. The user location information is the location information of the communication terminal 200 or the location information of the electric vehicle M. The address information is address information for the information management device 400 to communicate with the communication terminal 200 and the electric vehicle M. The payment information is, for example, information about the payment method (for example, credit card payment, electronic money payment) when user U pays for the usage fees when using the services of the embodiment (for example, navigation service) or the charging facility 300. The payment information may also include whether or not the payment has been completed, the payment date, the payment amount, etc.

[0068] Figure 7 shows an example of the contents of the charging facility DB454. The charging facility DB454 includes, for example, a facility ID, location information, charging performance information, fee information, means of transportation information, available time slots, and reservation information. The facility ID is identification information that identifies the charging facility 300. The location information is the location information of the charging facility 300. The performance information is information such as the amount of power that can be supplied by the charging facility 300, the specifications, the types of vehicles that can be charged, and the manufacturing date of the charging facility. The fee information is information regarding the usage fee for the charging facility 300. Note that the usage fee may include the cost of using public transportation such as buses or other paid public transportation when traveling from the charging facility to the destination. The means of transportation information is, for example, information regarding means of transportation (transportation) that exist within a predetermined distance based on the location information of the charging facility 300. Means of transportation include, for example, buses and trains. Furthermore, information regarding means of transportation includes the location of bus stops and stations, route information (for example, location information of each stop, travel time in each section), fares for the means of transportation, and timetables. The means of transportation information may also include information indicating whether or not walking is possible. The available time slots define the time periods during which the charging facility 300 is available. The reservation information is the reservation information for the charging facility 300. The reservation information includes the user ID and reservation time.

[0069] Here, the charging facility DB 454 is generated or updated based, for example, on information transmitted from the charging facility 300 or from a communication terminal (e.g., a PC or smartphone) used by the administrator (including the owner, etc.) managing the charging facility 300. In addition, the fee information in the charging facility DB 454 may be set by the information management device 400 according to, for example, the usage status and congestion level of the charging facility 300, the presence or absence of events near the charging facility, etc.

[0070] Map information 456 may store, for example, information similar to that described above in map information 142 and 274. Furthermore, map information 456 may also store the aforementioned means of transportation information corresponding to the latitude and longitude information.

[0071] The communication unit 410 communicates with the electric vehicle M, the communication terminal 200, the charging facility 300, and other external devices via the network NW. For example, the communication unit 410 receives location information, destination information, estimated arrival time information, etc., from the electric vehicle M or the communication terminal 200. The communication unit 410 also transmits information to the electric vehicle M, the communication terminal 200, and the charging facility 300 regarding candidate charging facilities 300 available to the electric vehicle M while the user U is staying at the destination, as well as information regarding reservations for the charging facilities 300.

[0072] The acquisition unit 420 acquires information for registration and updating in the user information DB 452 and the charging facility DB 454 based on the information received by the communication unit 410. The acquisition unit 420 also acquires information regarding the user U's location (location information of the electric vehicle M or communication terminal 200), destination information, and estimated time of arrival at the destination. In addition to information regarding the destination's location, the destination information may also include information regarding the duration of stay at the destination. The duration of stay is set, for example, by the user U. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 420 may estimate the duration of stay from the user U's past history information, or it may be set according to the purpose of stay at the destination that the user U has set in advance (e.g., work, leisure, sightseeing, or other errands).

[0073] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 420 may acquire charging performance information and information regarding the status of the battery 40 from the electric vehicle M. The acquisition unit 420 may also acquire charging performance information from the charging facility 300. This information may be provided to the user U by the provision unit 440.

[0074] The management unit 430 includes, for example, a user management unit 432, a charging facility management unit 434, and a reservation unit 436. The user management unit 432 registers user information in the user information DB 452, etc., and updates and deletes registered data. The user management unit 432 may also perform user authentication processing when using services provided by the information management device 400. In that case, the user management unit 432 receives information such as user ID, password, and biometric information from user U, refers to the user information DB 432 to determine whether matching user information exists, and if matching user information exists, permits the use of the service; if no matching user information exists, prohibits the use of the service or outputs information prompting new registration. In addition, when the user management unit 432 receives new registration information, it updates the user information DB 452 based on the received new registration information.

[0075] The charging facility management unit 434 manages the usage status of the charging facility 300. The charging facility management unit 434 updates the charging facility information DB 454 based on usage status and reservation instructions from user U, which are acquired by the acquisition unit 420 at predetermined intervals.

[0076] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the charging facility management unit 434 of an embodiment. The charging facility management unit 434 includes, for example, a charging facility candidate extraction unit 434A, an availability determination unit 434B, a travel time calculation unit 434C, and a degree of freedom setting unit 434D. The charging facility candidate extraction unit 434A extracts charging facility candidates that can be reached within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time from the destination. For example, the charging facility candidate extraction unit 434A refers to the charging facility DB 454 based on information such as destination information and estimated arrival time from the user U and extracts charging facility candidates that can be reached within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time from the destination.

[0077] The availability determination unit 434B determines whether the charging facility candidates extracted by the charging facility candidate extraction unit 434A are available at a predetermined time set based on the scheduled arrival time. For example, the availability determination unit 434B refers to the available time slot for each charging facility candidate and determines that it is available if it is free (not booked) from a predetermined time before the scheduled arrival time onward, and determines that it is unavailable if it is not free. The predetermined time may be a time corresponding to the travel time of user U from the charging facility 300 to the destination (e.g., walking time), or it may be a fixed time (e.g., about 5 to 15 minutes).

[0078] Furthermore, the availability determination unit 434B may obtain the duration of stay at the destination and refer to the available time slots for each charging equipment candidate. If the time slot including the duration of stay at the destination from the scheduled arrival time falls within the available time slot, it may determine that the equipment is available. If the time slot including the duration of stay does not fall within the available time slot, it may determine that the equipment is unavailable.

[0079] Furthermore, the availability determination unit 434B may, in addition to (or instead of) the above-mentioned conditions, determine that the facility is available if the battery 40 is fully charged (charge rate exceeds a threshold) between the scheduled arrival time and the end of the stay period, and determine that it is unavailable if charging is not completed. In this case, the availability determination unit 434B uses the State of Charge (SOC) and charging performance information of the electric vehicle M's battery 40 and the charging performance information of the candidate charging facility to predict the time until charging is completed (charging time), and determines whether the battery 40 is fully charged based on whether the time after the charging time from the scheduled arrival time has elapsed falls within the charging availability period. This allows for a more accurate determination of availability based on the charging time.

[0080] The travel time calculation unit 434C calculates the travel time between the charging facility candidate extracted by the charging facility candidate extraction unit 434A and the destination. For example, the travel time calculation unit 434C refers to the map information 456 to obtain the route from the charging facility candidate to the destination, and calculates the travel time on foot based on the distance along the obtained route and the walking speed of the user U. The walking speed may be a predetermined speed, a speed set by the user U, or a speed set based on the user U's past walking speed (e.g., average speed). The travel time calculation unit 434C may also refer to the means of transportation information in the charging facility DB 454 and calculate the travel time for each means of transportation if there are means of transportation other than walking from the charging facility candidate to the destination. For example, if the destination is two train stops away from the charging facility candidate, the travel time calculation unit 434C obtains the travel time for traveling two stops by train. The travel time calculation unit 434C may also refer to a timetable or the like to calculate the travel time including waiting time before boarding the means of transportation.

[0081] The degree of freedom setting unit 434D sets the degree of freedom for the length of stay at the destination. The degree of freedom is an index value that indicates the acceptable range of error for the length of stay to be greater than the actual length of stay. For example, if the length of stay at the destination is 3 hours, the closer the length is to 3 hours, the lower the degree of freedom, and the greater the length of stay, the higher the degree of freedom. The degree of freedom may be set by the user U, may be set according to the length of stay, or may be set according to a pre-set purpose of stay at the destination (e.g., work, leisure, sightseeing, other errands). For example, the charging facility candidate extraction unit 434A may increase the distance from the destination (predetermined distance) used as the basis for extracting charging facility candidates, or increase the travel time from the destination (predetermined time), as the degree of freedom increases. As a result, when the degree of freedom is small, charging facility candidates close to the destination are extracted, and when the degree of freedom is large, charging facility candidates including charging facilities far from the destination are extracted. In this way, charging facility candidates suitable for the user U can be extracted according to the degree of freedom for the length of stay at the destination.

[0082] Returning to Figure 5, the reservation unit 436 reserves the charging facility 300. For example, if user U selects one of the charging facility candidates provided to user U, the reservation unit 436 reserves the selected charging facility 300. The reservation unit 436 also updates the charging facility DB 454 based on the reservation information. The reservation unit 436 also refers to the map information 456 to generate information regarding the location and route of the reserved charging facility 300 and provides the user U with the generated information and the reservation information. The reservation unit 436 may also transmit the reservation information to the reserved charging facility 300 and cause the charging facility 300 to control itself so as not to charge any vehicles other than those of the reserved user (electric vehicle M) during the reserved time slot. By making reservations through the reservation unit 436, the burden on user U can be further reduced.

[0083] The provisioning unit 440 provides user U with information regarding candidate charging facilities extracted by the charging facility management unit 434. For example, the provisioning unit 440 transmits to user U the electric vehicle M or communication terminal 200 at least one of the following: the distance between the candidate charging facility and the destination, which has been determined to be available by the availability determination unit 434B, and the user's travel time, along with the location information of the candidate charging facility. In addition to the above information, the provisioning unit 440 may also provide user U with the usage fee for each candidate charging facility.

[0084] For example, based on the location information of the electric vehicle M and the communication terminal 200 acquired by the acquisition unit 420, the providing unit 440 determines that user U is inside the electric vehicle M (user U is riding in the electric vehicle M) if the distance between the electric vehicle M and the communication terminal 200 is within a predetermined distance, and provides the electric vehicle M with the information regarding the charging facility candidates mentioned above. On the other hand, if the distance between the electric vehicle M and the communication terminal 200 is greater than the predetermined distance, the providing unit 440 determines that user U is not riding in the electric vehicle M and provides the communication terminal 200 with the information regarding the charging facility candidates. Furthermore, the providing unit 440 may transmit the information regarding the charging facility candidates to the electric vehicle M or the communication terminal 200 that has transmitted destination information to the information management device 400, or it may transmit it to the one that user U has pre-configured.

[0085] Furthermore, the providing unit 440 may provide the user U with information regarding the state of the battery 40 acquired by the acquisition unit 420. The providing unit 440 may also provide the user U with charging performance information indicating the charging performance of the battery 40 acquired by the acquisition unit 420, and may also provide the user U with charging performance information indicating the charging performance of the charging facility 300. Furthermore, the providing unit 440 may provide the user U with information such as the charging start time and charging end time (scheduled end time) of the battery 40 acquired by the acquisition unit 420. This allows the user U to more accurately understand the time required for charging and the end time.

[0086] Furthermore, the provisioning unit 440 includes, for example, an evaluation unit 442 and a recommendation unit 444. The evaluation unit 442 evaluates the charging facility candidates. For example, the evaluation unit 442 evaluates each charging facility candidate using at least one criterion from among the following: the usage fee of the charging facility candidate, the distance between the charging facility candidate and the destination, the travel time from the charging facility candidate to the destination, and the charging performance information of the charging facility candidate. For example, as a first evaluation, the evaluation unit 442 gives a higher evaluation to charging facility candidates with lower usage fees. As a second evaluation, the evaluation unit 442 gives a higher evaluation to charging facility candidates that are closer to the destination. As a third evaluation, the evaluation unit 442 gives a higher evaluation to charging facility candidates with shorter travel times to the destination. The above travel time may be uniformly defined as travel time on foot, or it may include travel time including the use of means of transportation. As a fourth evaluation, the evaluation unit 442 gives a higher evaluation to charging facility candidates with higher performance. Furthermore, performance is higher, for example, the newer the manufacturing date of the charging facility 300, the greater the amount of electricity that can be supplied in a given time, or the wider the variety of vehicles that can be charged.

[0087] The evaluation unit 442 evaluates each charging facility candidate using at least one of the first to fourth evaluations. The evaluation unit 442 may also perform evaluations using evaluation criteria other than the first to fourth evaluations. When using multiple evaluations, the evaluation unit 442 may perform the final evaluation using the average value or sum of the evaluations. The evaluation unit 442 may also inquire with user U about which evaluation criteria to use and perform the evaluation using the evaluation criteria selected by user U. This allows the evaluation unit 442 to provide user U with information on charging facility candidates evaluated using the evaluation criteria desired by user U.

[0088] When the recommendation unit 444 provides user U with a list of charging facility candidates, it provides information about the recommended charging facility candidates based on the evaluation results of the evaluation unit 442. For example, the recommendation unit 444 recommends to user U the charging facility candidate with the highest evaluation among the evaluated charging facility candidates. The recommendation unit 444 may also recommend to user U charging facility candidates whose evaluation value is above a threshold. Furthermore, when providing a route to a charging facility candidate, the recommendation unit 444 may provide user U with a route to the recommended charging facility as the recommended route. In this way, by recommending highly-rated charging facility candidates to user U, the effort required for user U to choose is reduced, and it becomes easier for them to select a more appropriate charging facility 300 and driving route.

[0089] Furthermore, if the charge level of the electric vehicle M is above a threshold, the recommendation unit 444 may recommend to user U that charging is not necessary during the stay at the destination. This can prevent unnecessary charging and allow for more appropriate suggestions from being made to user U.

[0090] [Information on charging facilities] Next, an example of providing information about charging facilities in the embodiment will be specifically described. In the following description, an example of providing information about charging facilities 300 to a communication terminal 200 of a user U using an electric vehicle M will be described, but the information may also be provided to the electric vehicle M instead of (or in addition to) the communication terminal 200.

[0091] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process for providing information on charging facilities. In the example in Figure 9, the processes in the communication terminal 200 and the information management device 400 are shown. It is also assumed that, prior to the execution of the process in Figure 9, the latest usage status of each charging facility 300 is managed by the information management device 400. Furthermore, the process on the communication terminal 200 side, which will be described later, is mainly achieved by executing the navigation application 272.

[0092] In the example shown in Figure 9, the communication terminal 200 stores the destination entered by user U (step S100). Next, the communication terminal 200 refers to the map information 274 to obtain the route from the current location of the communication terminal 200 to the destination, and calculates the estimated time of arrival at the destination from the obtained route and the current time (step S102). Next, the communication terminal 200 transmits the destination information and the information regarding the estimated time of arrival to the information management device 400 (step S104). The destination information may include not only the location information of the destination but also information regarding the duration of stay at the destination.

[0093] The information management device 400 receives destination information and estimated arrival time information from the communication terminal 200 (step S106), and extracts charging facilities that are within a predetermined distance from the destination and available at the estimated arrival time as charging facility candidates (step S108). Next, the information management device 400 acquires location information, usage fees, available time slots, and travel time between the charging facility candidates and the destination (step S110), and transmits the acquired information (information regarding charging facility candidates) to the communication terminal 200 (step S112). Note that in the processing of step S110, information regarding usage fees and available time slots does not have to be included, and conversely, information regarding the travel distance between the charging facility candidates and the destination and information regarding the means of transportation may be included.

[0094] The communication terminal 200 receives information regarding the location, usage fee, available time slots, and travel time of candidate charging facilities (step S114), and displays the received information on the display 232 (step S116). Next, the communication terminal 200 receives information regarding the charging facility selected by user U from among the displayed candidate charging facilities (step S118). Next, the communication terminal 200 transmits the received information regarding the charging facility 300 to the information management device 400 (step S120).

[0095] The information management device 400 receives information about the selected charging facility (step S122) and reserves the received charging facility (step S124). Specifically, the information management device 400 updates the reservation information in the charging facility DB 454 and updates the available time slots to exclude the reserved time slot (a predetermined time from the scheduled arrival time). Next, the information management device 400 generates reservation information for the reserved charging facility (step S126) and transmits the generated reservation information to the communication terminal 200 (step S128).

[0096] The communication terminal 200 receives the reservation information (step S130) and notifies the user of the received reservation information (step S132).

[0097] Figure 10 shows an example of how information regarding charging facilities 300 is provided. In the example in Figure 10, three charging facilities 300A to 300C are shown located in area AR1 within a predetermined distance from the destination DST specified by user U. The information management device 400 obtains location information of the destination DST and estimated arrival time (11:00 in the example in Figure 10) from the communication terminal 200 of user U, who is riding in the electric vehicle M. The information management device 400 then extracts charging facilities 300A to 300C located within a predetermined distance (within area AR1) centered on the location of the destination DST. Furthermore, the information management device 400 obtains information on the available time periods for charging facilities 300A to 300C from the charging facility DB 454 and determines whether they are available after a time close to the estimated arrival time (including a predetermined time error) based on the obtained information. In addition, if the destination information from the communication terminal 200 includes the stay time (2 hours in the example in Figure 10), the information management device 400 may extract charging facilities where charging will be completed during the stay time. In the example shown in Figure 10, charging facilities 300A and 300B are selected as candidate charging facilities.

[0098] The information management device 400 transmits information regarding the location, available hours, usage fees, and travel time of the candidate charging facilities 300A and 300B to the communication terminal 200. In this case, the evaluation unit 442 may evaluate the charging facilities 300A and 300B, and the recommendation unit 444 may transmit the charging facility with the highest evaluation result as the recommended charging facility to the communication terminal 200.

[0099] Figure 11 shows an example of an image IM10 related to charging facility candidates displayed on the communication terminal 200. Note that the display content, layout, and other display aspects of image IM10 are not limited to this. Image IM10 is an image that shows information about charging facility candidates. Image IM10 includes, for example, an extraction result display area DA11, a candidate information display area DA12, and a switch display area AR13. The extraction result display area DA11 displays information about the number of charging facility candidates (two in the example of Figure 11) near the destination (within a predetermined distance from the destination, or within a predetermined time of arrival from the destination) extracted by the information management device 400. In addition, the extraction result display area DA11 may also display information prompting the user U to select one of the charging facility candidates if charging is to be performed during the stay at the destination.

[0100] The candidate information display area DA12 displays identification information for the two charging facilities extracted as candidates for charging facilities. In the example in Figure 10, location information, available time slots, usage fees, and travel time are displayed for each candidate charging facility. Location information may include address information, map information, or route information from the user U's current location. The candidate information display area DA12 may also display information regarding the travel distance from the charging facility to the destination.

[0101] Furthermore, the candidate information display area DA12 may display information indicating that the charging facility is one recommended by the recommendation unit 444. In the example in Figure 11, text information indicating that it is a recommended charging facility is displayed, but instead (or in addition to this), various collaborative displays may be used, such as making the text indicating the charging facility candidate corresponding to the recommended charging facility larger, displaying it with an emphatic color or pattern, or adding a dedicated mark, image, or icon. Also, when displaying multiple charging facility candidates in a list, the recommended charging facility may be sorted and displayed at the top. This makes it easier for the user U to see the information about the recommended charging facility.

[0102] Furthermore, the candidate information display area DA12 may display radio buttons or similar elements that allow the user U to select one of the charging facilities. Additionally, the candidate information display area DA12 may display content that allows the user to choose not to use a charging facility.

[0103] The switch display area DA13 includes, for example, two GUI (Graphical User Interface) switches: icon IC11 and icon IC12. Icon IC11 is an OK switch that accepts a request to use a charging facility selected by a radio button or the like in the candidate information display area DA12. Icon IC12 is a cancel switch that accepts a decision not to use the charging facility.

[0104] If user U selects icon IC11, the communication terminal 200 transmits information about the charging facility selected by user U using radio buttons, etc., to the information management device 400. If icon IC12 is selected, the communication terminal 200 transmits information to the information management device 400 indicating that the user will not use (or reserve) any of the charging facilities included in the charging facility candidates. Alternatively, instead of providing the communication terminal 200 with an image like the one shown in Figure 11, the information management device 400 may display an image like the one shown in Figure 10 on the communication terminal 200, allowing user U to select any charging facility or destination DST, or any of routes A to D.

[0105] When the information management device 400 receives information from the communication terminal 200 regarding a charging facility selected by user U (in the example in Figure 11, charging facility 300A), it considers it to have received a reservation instruction from user U, makes a reservation for the received charging facility, and if the reservation is successfully completed, generates the reservation result and route information to the reserved charging facility (route A shown in Figure 10), and transmits the generated information to the communication terminal 200 to provide it to user U. As a result, user U can move the electric vehicle M to charging facility 300A as the destination of the electric vehicle M.

[0106] Furthermore, if the user chooses not to use a charging facility (or if they choose a destination), the information management device 400 generates route information to the destination (route D shown in Figure 10) and transmits the generated information to the communication terminal 200 to provide it to the user U.

[0107] User U drives the electric vehicle M according to the reserved route to the charging facility 300, and after arriving at the charging facility 300, completes the necessary procedures and charges the vehicle. Furthermore, User U travels to the destination according to the route and means of transportation from the charging facility 300 to the destination as displayed on the communication terminal 200. After the time spent at the destination has elapsed, User U returns to the charging facility 300 and drives the now fully charged electric vehicle M. In this way, User U can park the electric vehicle M in the parking area of ​​the charging facility 300A and, while the electric vehicle M is being charged with the power supplied from the charging facility 300A, travel to the destination DST on foot or by other means to complete their business.

[0108] [Differentiation] In the embodiment described above, the estimated arrival time may be delayed or accelerated depending on road conditions (e.g., traffic congestion) along the route of the electric vehicle M. Therefore, the reservation unit 436 of the information management device 400 may update or cancel the reservation details when the estimated arrival time changes.

[0109] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process for updating or canceling a reservation. The example in Figure 12 shows the process when the process shown in Figure 9 is executed and a reserved charging facility exists. The process shown in Figure 12 may be executed repeatedly at a predetermined interval. In the example in Figure 12, the communication terminal 200 updates the estimated arrival time based on the route from the communication terminal 200's current location to the destination and the current time (step S200), and transmits the updated estimated arrival time to the information management device 400 (step S202). In the process of step S202, already reserved reservation information and information identifying the user may also be transmitted.

[0110] The information management device 400 receives the updated estimated arrival time, etc. (step S204), and refers to the charging facility DB 454 to obtain the available time slot for the reserved charging facility (step S206). The information management device 400 also transmits the obtained information regarding the available time slot for the charging facility to the communication terminal 200 (step S208).

[0111] The communication terminal 200 receives information about available time slots transmitted from the information management device 400 (step S210) and displays the received information about available time slots on the display 232 or the like (step S212). Next, if the communication terminal 200 receives an instruction from user U to change or cancel a reservation based on the updated estimated arrival time (step S214), it transmits the received instruction information to the information management device 400 (step S216).

[0112] The information management device 400 receives instruction information transmitted from the communication terminal 200 (step S218) and updates the reservation information for the charging facility according to the instruction information (step S220). Next, the information management device 400 transmits the updated reservation information to the communication terminal 200 (step S222).

[0113] The communication terminal 200 receives the updated reservation information (step S224) and displays the reservation information on the display 232 (step S226). In steps S222 to S226, route information to the reserved charging facility may be included in addition to the reservation information. This completes the sequence processing. In step S200, if the difference between the updated estimated arrival time and the estimated arrival time when the charging facility 300 was reserved is less than a predetermined time, the processing from step S202 onwards may be omitted, assuming that there is no change or cancellation of the reservation. The processing shown in Figure 12 allows the reservation information to be updated with less burden on the user U, even if the estimated arrival time changes depending on road conditions, etc.

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, at least some of the functions of the electric vehicle M and communication terminal 200 described above may be provided in the information management device 400, and at least some of the functions of the information management device 400 may be provided in the electric vehicle M and communication terminal 200. For example, the estimated time of arrival at the destination may be calculated by the information management device 400 instead of being calculated by the electric vehicle M and communication terminal 200.

[0115] According to the embodiments described above, the information management device 400 includes: an acquisition unit 420 that communicates with an electric vehicle M (an example of a mobile device) equipped with a battery 40 or a communication terminal 200 used by a user U using the electric vehicle M, and acquires destination information and estimated arrival time to the destination of the user U; a storage unit 450 that stores charging facility information including location information of multiple charging facilities capable of charging the battery 40 and the available time slots for the charging facilities; a charging facility candidate extraction unit 434A that extracts charging facility candidates that can be reached within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time from the destination based on the charging facility information; an availability determination unit 434B that determines whether a charging facility candidate is available based on the estimated arrival time and the available time slot; and a provision unit 440 that provides the user U with the distance between the charging facility candidate determined to be available and the destination, at least one of the user's travel time, and the location information of the charging facility candidate. By including these components, the information management device 400 can provide the user with more appropriate information about charging facilities based on the location of the destination.

[0116] For example, according to the embodiment, it is possible to provide user U with a more appropriate and optimal charging facility candidate, taking into account the estimated time of arrival at the destination. Furthermore, according to the embodiment, by inputting information about the destination from user U, it is possible to provide not only a route to travel directly to the destination, but also information about charging facilities near the destination where user U can charge the electric vehicle M during their stay at the destination. Therefore, user U is provided with two plans: a plan to travel directly to the destination with the electric vehicle M without charging, and a plan to travel to the destination with the electric vehicle M charged at a charging facility and spend time there. Thus, user U can select the appropriate plan according to the situation. In addition, according to the embodiment, user U can stay at the destination away from the electric vehicle M without having to wait at the charging facility 300 until charging is complete, so time can be used effectively without having to calculate departure time considering the travel time of the route added to go through the charging facility or the charging time.

[0117] The embodiments described above can be expressed as follows. A storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions, A processor connected to the storage medium, The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: It communicates with a mobile device equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user utilizing the mobile device, and obtains destination information regarding the user's destination and the estimated time of arrival at the destination. Based on charging facility information including location information of multiple charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time periods of the charging facilities, candidate charging facilities that can be reached from the destination within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time are extracted. Based on the estimated arrival time and the available time slot, it is determined whether the candidate charging facility is available. The user is provided with at least one of the following: the distance between the charging facility candidate determined to be available from among the charging facility candidates and the destination, and the user's travel time, and the location information of the charging facility candidate. Information management device.

[0118] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0119] 1…Information management system, 20…Vehicle sensor, 36, 250…Control unit, 40…Battery, 42…Battery sensor, 90…Navigation device, 100…Control device, 110, 360…Charging control unit, 120…Communication control unit, 130…Display control unit, 140…Vehicle-side memory unit, 200…Communication terminal, 210…Terminal-side communication unit, 220, 320…Input unit, 230, 330…Output unit, 232, 332…Display, 234, 334…Speaker, 240, 340 ...Location acquisition unit, 260...Application execution unit, 270...Terminal-side storage unit, 300...Charging facility, 350...Power supply unit, 400...Information management device, 410...Communication unit, 420...Acquisition unit, 430...Management unit, 432...User management unit, 434...Charging facility management unit, 434A...Charging facility candidate extraction unit, 434B...Availability determination unit, 434C...Travel time calculation unit, 434D...Degree of freedom setting unit, 436...Reservation unit, 440...Provision unit, 442...Evaluation unit, 444...Recommendation unit, M...Electric vehicle

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that communicates with a mobile device equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user utilizing the mobile device, and acquires destination information regarding the user's destination and the estimated time of arrival at the destination, A storage unit that stores charging facility information including location information of multiple charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time periods of the charging facilities, A charging facility candidate extraction unit extracts charging facility candidates that can be reached from the destination within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time based on the charging facility information, A availability determination unit that determines whether the candidate charging facility is available based on the estimated arrival time and the available time slot, A providing unit that provides the user with at least one of the following: the distance between the charging facility candidate determined to be available from among the charging facility candidates and the destination, the user's travel time, and the location information of the charging facility candidate. An information management device equipped with the following features.

2. The system further includes a travel time calculation unit that calculates the user's travel time based on the distance between the candidate charging facility and the destination. The information management device according to claim 1.

3. The destination information includes information regarding the user's length of stay at the destination. The information management device according to claim 1.

4. The providing unit provides the user with information regarding the candidate charging facilities from among the candidate charging facilities, which will complete charging of the battery between the scheduled arrival time and the end of the stay period. The information management device according to claim 3.

5. The acquisition unit acquires information regarding the battery status via the mobile device or the communication terminal. The providing unit provides the user with information regarding the battery status. The information management device according to claim 1.

6. The acquisition unit acquires charging performance information indicating the charging performance of the battery, The providing unit provides the charging performance information to the user. The information management device according to claim 1.

7. The system further includes a reservation unit for reserving the charging facility selected by the user from among the candidate charging facilities. The information management device according to claim 1.

8. The reservation unit, when the estimated arrival time is updated, provides the user with information regarding the available time of the reserved charging facility and updates or cancels the reservation in accordance with the user's instructions. The information management device according to claim 7.

9. The aforementioned supply unit is, An evaluation unit for evaluating the aforementioned charging facility candidates, The system includes a recommendation unit that recommends a recommended charging facility to the user based on the evaluation results of the candidate charging facility evaluated by the evaluation unit, The evaluation unit evaluates each candidate charging facility using at least one criterion from among the following: the usage fee for the candidate charging facility, the distance between the candidate charging facility and the destination, the travel time from the candidate charging facility to the destination, and the charging performance information of the candidate charging facility. The aforementioned recommendation unit recommends the charging facility candidate with the highest evaluation among the evaluated charging facility candidates as the recommended charging facility. The information management device according to claim 1.

10. The system further includes a degree of freedom setting unit for setting the degree of freedom for the length of stay at the aforementioned destination, The charging facility candidate extraction unit increases the predetermined distance or predetermined time as the degree of freedom set by the degree of freedom setting unit increases. The information management device according to claim 1.

11. Computers It communicates with a mobile device equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user utilizing the mobile device, and obtains destination information regarding the user's destination and the estimated time of arrival at the destination. Based on charging facility information including location information of multiple charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time periods of the charging facilities, candidate charging facilities that can be reached from the destination within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time are extracted. Based on the estimated arrival time and the available time slot, it is determined whether the candidate charging facility is available. The user is provided with at least one of the following: the distance between the charging facility candidate determined to be available from among the charging facility candidates and the destination, and the user's travel time, and the location information of the charging facility candidate. Information management method.

12. On the computer, The system communicates with a mobile device equipped with a battery or a communication terminal used by a user utilizing the mobile device, and obtains destination information regarding the user's destination and the estimated time of arrival at the destination. Based on charging facility information including location information of multiple charging facilities capable of charging the battery and the available time periods of the charging facilities, candidate charging facilities that can be reached from the destination within a predetermined distance or within a predetermined time are extracted. Based on the estimated arrival time and the available time slot, determine whether the candidate charging facility is available or not. The user is provided with at least one of the following: the distance between the charging facility candidate determined to be available from among the charging facility candidates and the destination, the user's travel time, and the location information of the charging facility candidate. program.

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